...Did you know that figs were among the very first plants grown in the
hot and arid Middle East? Fast growing and utterly delicious, they soon made
their way all over the Mediterranean, transported aboard ships and on the
backs of camels...
If you are a fig lover, you may be tempted to grow your own. Market-bought
figs are never as good and tasty as your own, homegrown figs. They just
simply do not keep well in supermarkets. Fast growing, undemanding and low
maintenance, figs will bear fruit in just two years, often bearing two crops in a
year. Another plus is that they are not bothered by too many pests and are
self-fertile. Apart from the delicious fruit, any fig tree will add beauty and
shade to a garden...
In the photo: Atemoya, one of the Annonas - fruit lover favorites.
Q: Aloha guys, I purchased a Diospyros digyna - Black Sapote grafted var. Black Beauty from you and
am checking to make sure it will fruit by itself and not need both sexes.
Also checking to see if the grafted atemoya I bought from you will fruit at sea level (where I'm at) or if
I should give it to a friend who is above 1,000 so it will fruit? My grafted
Maimi soursop is thriving! Looking at getting a grafted jackfruit from
you all next.
A:Black sapote Black Beauty does not need a second plant to produce
fruit. Grafted trees should be flowering and setting fruit right away, or
sometimes on the second year. Atemoya does not require high elevation for fruiting. It is a hybrid
Annona squamosa x Annona cherimola (A. cherimola species prefers higher
elevation) so Atemoya is usually is happy at sea level.
Congratulations with your Soursop! It should be really happy in your location.
As for grafted Jackfruits, this is the list of varieties we usually carry. Since many of them are very rare,
they sell out quickly once we get new arrivals. If you are looking for a
specific variety, I strongly recommend to add it to your wishlist (click on "Notify me when available") and you will receive
email from us as soon as we have it in stock, so you will be the first one to
know about it!
Our favorite Jackfruit varieties (and also hot
sellers)
Q: We purchased a Royal Poinciana tree from TopTropicals not too long ago and we
gradually gave it more sun until finally we were able to plant it in direct sunlight
where it's been for a week or so. Rain has been sporadic lately so I'm giving
it a little bit of water every day. It seems to be doing fine. I do have a
question about whether the leaves are as green as they should be? I read
online that I should fertilize it with gardenia / ixoria fertilizer in March,
June, and October. I looked on homedepot.com but didn't really find anything that
goes by that name. Would fertilizer help? Can you suggest a fertilizer?
A: Your Poinciana tree looks pretty healthy and happy,
congratulations with a great job!
Traditional (old-school) fertilizer recommendations usually suggest feeding
a plant 2-3 times a year with a slow-release fertilizer. And although a
plant will benefit from any fertilizer application (extra food is always good),
however, for the best results, faster growth, sooner and more profuse
blooming, your should use complete plant nutrition products - liquid fertilizers (see
why liquid
fertilizers are better than dry).
Here is an example. Some people eat a big heavy meal once a day which we
all know, is not very healthy. Other people eat balanced food more frequently
but in smaller portions - this is always the best way to go.
From this point, plants prefer SNACKING - frequent feeding, but with less
concentrated, mild and balanced nutrients.
For your beautiful Poinciana tree (and other flowering plants), we suggest
the following nutrition program:
1) SUNSHINE Megaflor - Bloom Nutrition Booster - you may use this
fertilizer as frequent as with every watering, it won't burn the roots, and will
provide a complete nutrition for all plant needs throughout the year. You can
continue fertilizing with Megaflor even during winter time. Sunshine Megaflor
will help you to keep the plant healthy, vigorous, and resistant to stress and
diseases. It turns leaves green and makes the plant strong so it will start
flowering sooner for you.
Q: My mature mango tree is fully grown 15 yrs old and each year
it fully blooms, sometimes twice. Shortly thereafter, all the baby mangos and
flowers fall off providing no mangos for the season. I have tried
fertilizing, spraying the tree for fungus or other insects, to no avail. I give up, any
suggestions?
A: Dropping fruit in pretty common issue with mango trees. There
may be several reasons, or a combination of reasons.
Fungal disease (anthracnose), and/or powdery mildew. To avoid
fungal disease problems, spray your tree when it just begins to form the flower
spikes. Treat foliage with Copper fungicide. There is also another
one, very effective for anthracnose: Thiophanate methyl.
Check out pictures of our mango tree problems that were fixed within a month by
using Sunshine Boosters. 3. Too much rain or heavy dew during blooming and fruit set (see 1 -
use preventive treatment for fungus) 4. Cold. Sometimes the cause of premature fruit drop is from the
cold weather during bloom and fruit set. Usually the most affected varieties are
the early bloomers including Glenn, Haden. The cold damages the developing
embryo in the seed. The fruit starts to develop but because of ethylene gas
given off by the damaged embryo, the fruit is triggered to drop before
maturity. To see if cold temperature was the cause for your fruit dropping, cut open
the fallen fruit. Even if there is a small speck of brown in the seed,
that’s enough damage to stop fruit development.
To learn more how to care for your mango, please read this publication.
What is a garden without fragrance? Unknown to so many gardeners because
of its rarity, the Milky Way tree or Stemmadenia litoralis is one of those trees that are simply
unforgettable. This is without a doubt one of the most fragrant flowering trees you can
plant in the tropics or warm greenhouse conditions...
When this tree is in full bloom, masses of large, white, tornado-shaped
flowers cover the branches. The fragrance is something to behold… soft,
vanilla sweet and musky. Leaves are dark green and sparkly and a striking contrast
against the large, white flowers. Even the seed pods are pretty,
double-horned and orange-gold, born in pairs and hanging from the tree. This tree is so
ornamental!..
Q: About a year ago we bought a mango tree from you folks and planted it in our backyard in Estero. It has done well. It now has several mangoes and I am wondering if the
tree is strong enough to support the fruit or if I should just cut off the fruit and wait until next year
when the tree is a bit stronger. I am attaching some pictures. I am most concerned about the branch on the right which seems to be
sagging. If you do not suggest that I cut off the fruit, can I wait until they ripen on the tree and eat them. They seem to be a bit on the small side for eating.
A: Your mango tree looks very healthy and happy, congratulation with a great job! For young mango trees, it is always recommended to minimize a number of fruit to 2-3 so
the tree has enough energy for vegetative growth rather than fruiting.
In your case, as we can see from the pictures, your tree is very well
established, has a strong root system, nice symmetrical shape, and vigorous new growth. In our opinion, you can save all
these fruit and let them ripen on the tree.
To support the plant's energy, make sure to fertilize it during summer with slow-release Mango Food, and year around - with Mango Tango booster. Use Sunshine Honey
supplement for sweeter fruit.
Secure the heavy fruit branch with a v-shape stake (a big branch may work), it can definitely use the support otherwise may break
under strong Florida winds.
You are all set to enjoy your first crop and be rewarded with fruit of your excellent work!
Q: I need some advice on which fertilizer(s) would be perfect for
my Cannonball tree and its cousin Heaven's Lotus (Gustavia augusta). I also have fruit trees... soursops, mango, etc. and a collection of flowers including pua keni keni, plumeria, bougainvillea, etc. I am wondering if you can recommend a custom
fertilizing regimen for my garden (especially the cannonball and the gustavia since
they are young).
A: It is a perfect time now to fertilize your plants as they
start active growth. We have suggestions on fertilizing programs for your trees.
You will find here our recommendations for:
1. Young trees
2. Flowering trees
3. Fragrant plants
4. In-ground grown fruit trees... CONTINUE READING >>
How to feed a Mango tree...
and to grow a Dwarf Mango
How to fertilize a Mango tree
Q: My mango trees that I bought and planted last august now have
fruit. I bought 2 types of fertilizer from you and never used it. Should I
use your fertilizer now?
A: It is a perfect time now to fertilize your plants as they
start active growth.
For mango trees, we recommend liquid fertilizer Sunshine Booster - Mango Tango. It is formulated for Mango trees,
especially for container grown. It improves quantity and quality of flowers and
ability to set fruit, reduces bud-flower-fruit drop. Can be used as often as
with every watering. For best results, use in combination with Sunshine Honey and Sunshine Superfood plant supplements. Its scientifically-balanced
stable formula is organic Amino-acid based and has NO EDTA chelators to eliminate
nutrients lockup; it does not affect crop taste.
Additionally, you may use slow-release granulated fertilizer Mango-Food once a month during hot season only. Dosage: 1 teaspoon per
each gal of soil.
Water-soluble fertilizers can be also used, however, those are usually
EDTA-chelated which is not as efficient as Amono-acid based Sunshine Boosters and
may create nutrients build up, especially if overdosed in containers.
For in-ground mango trees, you may use all the above, and slow-release
granulated fertilizer can be applied in larger quantities: spread a handful
around the drip line.
Remember that only liquid Sunshine Boosters can be applied year around.
With other fertilizers, you need to be careful not to overdose, and apply
only during hot weather (when night temperatures are steadily above 65F).
How to grow a Dwarf Mango tree
Q: I received the Ice cream mango tree in great condition (thank you for the ingenious
packing job) on Wednesday and have planted it in a pot slightly bigger than the
root ball. I plan to grow the tree on my front porch, so how big a container
should I ultimately use when the tree outgrows this pot? How big a container
does it need to fruit? I hope to keep it around 6-7 feet high, if possible.
I live in Hawaii.
A: Ice Cream mango is a perfect variety for container culture,
and it should be happy in Hawaii. You did everything right. Keep it in this
small pot for now and wait until it starts vigorous growth in Summer. Once it
starts growing (and you will notice roots growing too, sometimes they try to
grow through the holes in the bottom of the pot), then it's time to step up
into a bigger container (7-10 gal). Eventually you may use container size as
large as 15 gal. Ice cream mango is slow growing and compact, and you will be
able to maintain it under 7 ft with very minimal pruning if any.
Grafted trees, including Mango and Avocado, will start flowering and fruiting right away
Q: It would be easier for us buyers, if we could search for
plants that produce fruit in 2 years or less... I don't have the patience to wait
longer than that for fruit. I'm trying to buy for a fairly good sized garden
but want some fast growers and fruit produced in 2 yrs. Can you help me
out?
A: Fruiting time depends on many factors (growing conditions,
fertilizing, and even specific variety), this is why we can not just put a
simple icon "will fruit within 2 years".
However, most grafted and air-layered fruit trees, including all Mango, Avocado, Loquat, Sapote, Sapodilla, Longan, Peaches and Nectarines - will fruit right away. If you see in our store "grafted" or "air-layered" in plant description
- these trees will fruit soon. Some of them are already flowering and
fruiting!
Some non-grafted trees will fruit within a couple of years or even
sooner (those from cuttings, root division or even seedlings) - such as: Annona, Artocarpus (Jackfruit), Eugenia, Guava, Banana, Dragon fruit, Mulberry, Blackberry/Raspberry. Banana, Mulberry, Dragon fruit,
Blackberry-Raspberry - usually fruit within a year. You may refer to our store directory page for fruit specials.
Recently, while admiring the stunning beauty of a large flowering Brownea planted on the grounds here at Top Tropicals, I began wondering
why these most splendid of tropical flowering trees remain so rare and
obscure in South Florida. Much of our local climate seems perfectly conducive to
their cultivation...
